Social Media Responsibility – Rusty Mott

Southeast Texas Christian Blogs

Social Media Responsibility by Pastor Rusty Mott

At SetxChurchguide.com we love sharing with our readers on our website, Facebook, and Twitter. Guest blogger Pastor Rusty Mott of Cornerstone Baptist Church Kountze shares some useful cautions on how each of uses social media. Are we presenting an accurate picture of our lives? Are we using social media to make public conflicts of things best resolved privately? This is great information that Southeast Texas Christians can identify with and implement in our own lives.

Have you encountered situations like these two scenarios?

Scenario #1
Several months ago, I made breakfast. It was awesome. My wife Mallory and I didn’t get a lot of mornings at home together then, so I thought this would be special and fun. It was a unique breakfast pizza and it turned out to be delicious. Yet as I pulled it out of the oven and admired my creation, my first thought was, “I’ve got to get a picture of this!” Once we were done eating, I grabbed my phone and started the almost instant process of uploading the picture to Facebook when I suddenly stopped and cancelled the post.

What was I doing? Why did everyone need to know that I cooked breakfast for my wife? Why did they need to see that I am a creative chef capable of opening a restaurant that would blow the minds of the general population?

Scenario #2
One morning Mallory and I woke up and drank coffee together before I left for work. As we were looking at Facebook together (why has that become a morning tradition?), we were left astounded by what we saw.

Through some of our Facebook friends commenting on this post, a complete stranger’s status was in our newsfeed. This woman basically expressed frustration and disappointment regarding her husband’s critical spirit towards her housework. Seeing my friends’ names led me to click on the
comments section of this post, assuming this was a joke of some sort. But all of a sudden we were reading through a heated debate/argument between friends, husband, and wife regarding the wife’s role as keeper of the home.

A couple hashing out an extremely personal issue on Facebook? It was extremely troubling.

As you read these two scenarios, you likely recalled several similar instances from your own life. Social media has become a way of life in our culture. And while there are certainly many positive things regarding social media, the dangers are worth thinking about.

If we’re not careful, Facebook and Twitter can become tools for self-promotion.

That should sting a little bit- because all of us fall into this issue. Social media gives us the unique opportunity to present a “version” of our life that we deem acceptable and appealing. We select the best pictures, the wittiest status updates, the most popular videos to share with others. We present ourselves as cool based upon what interests we keep on our profile, or how many friends we have commenting on our posts. And of course there are some of you who present yourself as someone who “doesn’t care,” because you “don’t EVER really check your Facebook.” But this too is often an intentional presentation of your life and attitude.

You may think this is all harmless, but this “harmlessness” is what makes it so dangerous. Everyone uses social media now! My grandmother is an avid “Facebooker.” My cousins and I have noticed how even our family gatherings have changed. Everyone has a smart phone, and everyone takes pictures like crazy! (Many of which make it to our Facebook profiles). It is strange to think that even at family gatherings- social media is on our minds! We are always aware that pictures can and will be posted- people will see us!

Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with sharing photos and glimpses of our life with friends and family on Facebook. BUT, we must carefully work to ensure the purity of heart behind our social media use.

If we’re not careful, it is easy to find ourselves altering REALITY to fit into the presentation of ourselves we have created. Here’s what I mean- back to scenario #1.

Instead of making my wife a breakfast out of a pure heart wanting to serve and love her- the back of my mind had ulterior motives. I wanted (not only Mallory) to see how awesome I was as a husband, but I wanted the rest of the world to take notice!

Do you see how quickly this can happen? Instead of working out of love and responsibility- we find ourselves being good friends, husbands, wives, moms, and dads simply to present ourselves in a way that is appealing to others! It’s not enough to do something special for our spouse- we want to SHOW everyone that we did something special for our spouse. It’s not enough to simply experience a family outing- we want everyone to SEE our family is altogether awesome!

In the end, some of the very best things we’re doing can become jacked up when we look at the motives. I’m not saying that you should never post anything on social media. But I AM saying that we should all take a minute to look in the mirror and ask ourselves the question- are we REALLY just sharing our lives with other people, or are we concerned with presenting ourselves in such a way that brings US attention and appeal.

Of course, this issue goes WAY beyond social media. In fact, it is just our sinful nature. We are wired to seek honor and glory for US. But we have been called out- set apart to be God’s people living for His glory. Let’s live (and Facebook/Tweet) in such a way that others see Him in and through our lives!

SetxChurchGuide.com Editor’s Note: Thank-you Brother Rusty Mott for this real world information and for sharing from your own life with examples that will hit home for Southeast Texas Christians. Recently, I have also started to stop myself from sending out posts that were basically “I did this great thing for my kids” or “I bet this will look/sound cool on Facebook”. This is something we can all act on to help us be humble and to present more balanced looks at our lives.

We hope you have enjoyed today’s feature, Southeast Texas Christian Blogs – Social Media Responsibility by Rusty Mott of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Kountze.